


Interlude

by thatsmygvn (cougarlips)



Series: TWD Requests [12]
Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Light Angst, M/M, POV Third Person, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-28
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:04:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,187
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9096472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cougarlips/pseuds/thatsmygvn
Summary: Companion piece to "Prologue".  When Jesus finally came into the fray, it would have been difficult to look at Daryl and see his history, but it was there everywhere if you looked. It was in the way he held himself, with his shoulders drawn tight and hunched protectively over his chest. It was in the way he entered buildings, mapping the doors and windows before he could even think about doing anything else, routing an escape plan in the back of his mind with every step he took. It was the way he refused to take off his shirt even on the hottest of days in the stuffy garage, instead preferring to risk heat stroke than show anyone the scars marring his skin.Requests: “Could you write more in your au where daryl is a mechanic?” + “I would love to read more on [the garage AU] if you feel like writing it.” + “first time Paul sees Daryl and Judith together and he’s all “dammit does this man just keep getting better?"”





	

Daryl met Rick Grimes one night almost three years prior when he was trying to take a hungover, withdrawn Merle home from behind the alley he’d spent the weekend in. Loud, uncaring, and filter-free, he yelled at and catcalled every passerby they came across. After one too many calls rang in, Deputy Sheriff Rick Grimes arrived on the scene and had to arrest Merle for indecent behavior, threatening an officer, and illegal possession, but he took pity on Daryl, who -- except for the way cigarette smoke permeated his entire aura -- was clean as a whistle and looked hopelessly at his brother’s receding figure.

Rick knew the type of guy Daryl was. He’d seen his type all throughout his career: the unwilling accomplice doing what needed to be done to survive but hating every bit of it. He took pity on Daryl and offered to help him turn his life around.

(It that took Daryl almost a year to realize there were no strings attached to Rick’s kindness.)

With Rick’s help, Daryl got out of his life with Merle. He found himself with more money than he ever thought possible when he realized Merle wasn’t there to leech off him for drugs or women. With his job in a busy garage in the better part of town, he made enough money to buy a small apartment and provide for himself completely.

It would be a lie to say Rick didn’t change Daryl’s life, but it was more than just him: it was Rick’s ex-wife Lori, with her soft brown eyes and gentle hands that helped Daryl calm down after an episode; it was his son Carl, who was too young to understand the serious nature of life and helped Daryl be a kid again; it was Rick’s partner Michonne, with as many demons as Daryl but thrived in spite of them.

When Jesus finally came into the fray, it would have been difficult to look at Daryl and see his history, but it was there everywhere if you looked. It was in the way he held himself, with his shoulders drawn tight and hunched protectively over his chest. It was in the way he entered buildings, mapping the doors and windows before he could even think about doing anything else, routing an escape plan in the back of his mind with every step he took. It was the way he refused to take off his shirt even on the hottest of days in the stuffy garage, instead preferring to risk heat stroke than show anyone the scars marring his skin.

The first time Jesus saw Daryl, it was _this_ man he met: the one whose head was stuck in the past, constantly trying to make himself invisible, and using aggression to keep strangers away. Even in the company of Aaron and Eric Raleigh Daryl protected himself. At their home he kept quiet and eyes the exits meticulously.

Jesus hoped that after a few weeks Daryl would relax around him. He stopped acting around Daryl in hopes that his honesty would help him open him up, but to no avail. Instead, Daryl seemed to throw his guard up even higher.

Aaron listened to Jesus complain about this, but his advice was hardly helpful: “You don’t know him like we do. It took a _year_ for him to open up to Rick. It took him another year to actually relax around him and his family. Daryl needs time.”

When the opportunity for Jesus to finally meet the infamous Rick Grimes came up, he accepted the offer immediately. He wanted to know more about this man who Daryl trusted with his life. He expected to go to this man’s house to see a stern, imposing man -- someone who would make someone like Daryl feel safe. He _wasn’t_ expecting to see a graying father of two with an entire history in his face.

“Jesus, I presume?” he asked, reaching a hand out.

With an easy smile, he replied, “Or Paul. I prefer Jesus, though.”

Rick’s eyes met his, impossibly blue and skewering. It almost felt he was looking into his soul. All of a sudden, Jesus felt like he could keep no secrets from this man -- that he’d see right through him and his lies. He also felt, however, that this man would be as understanding as they came.

After entering the house, they were joined by a dark skinned woman with heavy dreads tied back by a scarf. Michonne, she introduced herself. Rick smiled when he saw her, so tender and heartwarming that it was clear exactly who she was to him.

“The kids?” he asked her, the rest of the question unsaid but clear.

She looked towards Jesus for only a second before telling Rick, with a knowing smirk, “Carl’s with Lori today. Glenn and Maggie dropped him off after he said hi to Enid. Judith’s in the living room practicing on two feet.”

The smile that graced Rick’s face was so genuine it almost hurt Jesus to look at him, but only a second later Rick gestured for him to follow.

Looking around the house, Jesus slowly began to understand _exactly_ why Daryl felt so comfortable around this family. They were open and honest, not only to themselves but to everyone around them. Every wall held frame after frame of their family: a tall, serene woman with brown hair, a boy with her hair and eyes but Rick’s face, Michonne, a baby with fuzzy blond hair, a man with thick black hair and a crooked smile, a young woman with a willowy girl standing next to her and a Korean man on her other side.

Their entire life story -- and then some -- stood open on the walls of their home, clear as day.

Before they turned into the living room, Jesus heard soft babbling and high-pitched giggling matched by whistled nursery rhymes and soft murmuring.

First, he saw the little girl, balancing on her feet on the man’s knees and laughing the entire time. She looked like a little like the woman in the photographs but little like Rick or even the man she played with.

Who happened to be Daryl.

Jesus wondered if this was how Daryl felt after he started acting like _himself_ , not the conman he’d turned into. To see Daryl so calm and relaxed, smiling at the baby girl and singing and whistling lullabies under his breath, it was better than any fantasy he’d dreamed up.

Rick dropped to the floor next to them, smiling as though he had no care in the world except for her. She reached for him, clenching her tiny fists into his beard and blowing uncoordinated raspberries in his face.

Michonne moved to stand beside Jesus before Daryl caught on to his presence and she nodded at the look of awe and wonder on his face.

“He’ll open up to you eventually,” she told him. “He just doesn’t understand how he feels about you right now.” She shrugged and turned around, but before she walked away she rested her hand on his arm. “But I didn’t tell you that, okay?”

**Author's Note:**

> i like _what_ i wrote, but i'm not very happy with the pacing of this. (fun fact: that's why i don't typically write longer oneshots ;A;) i may revisit it later after i have some time to think about it. i hope you guys all like it, though!
> 
> my twd blog is [@thatsmygvn](http://thatsmygvn.tumblr.com) if you'd like to check it out! i've got a good number of requests in my inbox that i'll be working on :)


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